Abstract
This chapter reports the findings of an empirical study into legislative oversight in Myanmar, with particular emphasis on the Hluttaw’s oversight of the anti-corruption framework. The study evaluated the impact of contextual factors, external oversight institutions and internal oversight tools using data collected from interviews with key national stakeholders. Our research highlights the difficulty of entrenching a system of oversight in a controlled political culture that restricts the application of formal internal and external oversight tools and is reluctant to engage in the specific issue of corruption. The chapter concludes by identifying recommendations for action with the objective of strengthening oversight and anti-corruption measures in Myanmar.
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Notes
- 1.
The data was collected initially by interviewer-led questionnaires completed by 36 respondents, 12 from each of the following categories: MP, media representatives and representatives of CSOs. Attempts to interview similar numbers of parliamentary staff were unsuccessful and we were also unable to interview military representatives. A literature search on oversight and anti-corruption efforts in Myanmar was also conducted.
- 2.
The Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house, consists of 440 Hluttaw, 330 of which are elected and 110 nominated by the Commander-in-Chief from Defence Services personnel (Article 109). The Amyotha Hluttaw, the upper-house, is comprised of 224 Hluttaw representatives, 12 elected from each Region and State (totalling 168) and 56 nominated by the Commander-in-Chief from Defence Services personnel (Article 141).
- 3.
- 4.
At the Region and State level, members of parliament can be ministers and Chief Ministers. When appointed, the ministers retain their parliamentary seats and have the full voting rights. This acts as a serious impediment for effective oversight of government actions.
- 5.
The PAC is one of four standing committees established in each of the assemblies of the Parliament of Myanmar and the two PACs also form a joint committee of the two houses (unlike Thailand and Indonesia where they serve the lower House). The joint committee is formed of equal numbers of members from PACs of the lower and upper house. It is chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the combined house.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
Our research allowed us to meet with a number of active CSOs including the Open Myanmar Initiative, a body which promotes the right to information and education; Spectrum, a sustainable Development Knowledge Network; the Myanmar Center for Responsible Business; and the Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA), a national network of civil society actors and individuals examining economic, political and social reform issues and to advocate for transparency and accountability of governance in Myanmar.
- 9.
After an investigation carried out by the New York Times, Kyaw Win was forced to admit publicly that his PhD certificate had been purchased from a fake university online, disqualifying him from being nominated (BBC 2016).
- 10.
The Research Services provide a confidential enquiry service and research briefings on legislation and topical political subjects.
- 11.
The Economist (2017) reports for example that ‘the old house churned out on average more than twice as many laws per session, asked substantially more questions of the government and passed almost four times as many motions to the executive’.
- 12.
The growing refugee crisis involving the Rohingya people in Myanmar’s western region of Rakhine falls outside of the scope of this chapter.
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Staddon, A., Thompson, G. (2020). Myanmar: Initial Improvements Facing Setbacks. In: Stapenhurst, R., Draman, R., Larson, B., Staddon, A. (eds) Anti-Corruption Evidence. Studies in Public Choice, vol 34. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14140-0_8
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